Austin Way

Greetings St. Joseph Catholic School and Community,

I am excited to introduce myself as the new middle school teacher at St. Joseph Catholic School. I am a Pacific Northwest native and grew up in Eastern Washington. I wasn’t born into a particularly religious household, but I came to know the Lord during high school at a local Evangelical church. In particular, its youth ministry program was deeply impactful. Through that ministry I developed a deep love for Scripture, theology, and the Church, and I desired for other young people to experience the life-transformative power of the Gospel.

In 2008, I moved to Oregon for college to study Scripture and theology further, as I sensed that I was being called to ministry with teenagers. After graduating, I spent nearly a decade working with middle schoolers in both faith-based and secular settings, as well as nine years serving as an Evangelical pastor, where I honed my skills in teaching both adults and students alike. Recently, I discerned that I needed to step away from pastoral ministry and felt that my skills and passions would be best used in a Christian education setting.

Although I am no longer a pastor, I still have a pastoral heart. While my role here at St. Joseph Catholic School is to teach subjects like History, English, and Latin, my deepest desire and prayer for the students is that they would come to know and fall in love with our Lord Jesus Christ, leading them to lifelong commitments to practice the faith. I am greatly looking forward to joining the school’s mission not only to fill minds, but also to form saints.

Outside of the classroom, you will often find me reading voraciously with a cup of coffee in hand, birdwatching, or spending time with my wife and three kids on our farm in Silverton.

Thank you for welcoming me into your community,

Austin Way 

“Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you.” Thomas Aquinas

Education:

Multnomah University - B.S. in Biblical &Theological Studies, minor Youth Ministry